make your salad sing

It's become a hashtag: #WhatWouldKarinaSay. You might wonder what on earth this means, but to put some meaning into this little idiom, Karina is our exceptional but strict German Personal Trainer. She has a fearsome pause, usually prior to praise but it leaves you hanging for a second or two as your stomach drops. Then whoop you're up again as she gives approval. It's my quotidian dose of being back at school.

So along this theme of keeping fit and trying to stay healthy (and the emphasis, now that I have a girl, is NOT on shape but rather on strength: read about that here), I wanted to curate 10 of my favourite ways to but some shine on the salad. It's just that day in day out of green leaves makes me bored. And as we grow our own (despite frequent attacks by Mickey the Mousebird - Peter Rabbit is nowhere to be seen), I don't really feel like I have an excuse not to delve into the fresh, organic, slightly nibbled at lettuce, rocket and spinach.

So here goes, this is what makes me love it:

1) Oat Croutons (inspired by Donna Hay)90g rolled oats + 2 tblsp sunflower seeds + 2 tblsp flaked almonds + 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic + 1 tblsp honey + 60ml olive or canola oil + sea salt & pepper.Preheat oven to 180. Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Spread the mixture out on a large lightly greased baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until delightfully golden. You may need to give it a stir from time to time. Set aside to cool before scattering over your salad.

3) Wasabi Dressing150g home made mayonnaise + 1 tblsp wasabi paste + 1 tblsp lime juice.Mix to combine. Enjoy with freshly steamed new potatoes, on rye bread with a topping of crunchy cucumber, or on the side.